Paid Members BomberPat Posted June 2 Paid Members Posted June 2 (edited) Vic and Bob live in the house, but my aunt offered us a hutch that her neighbour was getting rid of. So we decided our boy could have a summer house: A great pair of lads. Edited June 2 by BomberPat Quote
Paid Members Monkee Posted June 2 Paid Members Posted June 2 Not technically pets but the badgers are back in my garden and last night there were three - an adult and two babies! The cubs were running around making the most adorable squeaks, it sounded like they were laughing. Quote
Paid Members Ronnie Posted June 7 Paid Members Posted June 7 We have a birthday in this house: Ripples is three today. You're not wrong if you're thinking that you don't remember me mentioning her before: she came to live with us four weeks ago today. We wanted another cat after Heidi died; the prospect of waking up in a catless house is unenticing to say the least, and Pebbles will be 15 on Saturday. We knew that a kitten wasn't a possibility because elderly cats can struggle with their energy and playfulness. Fortunately, within a day of my searching, an advert for Ripley, as she was known, appeared. Her previous owner had had her for two months but was reluctantly giving her up in Ripley's own interest; this was a cat who desperately needs to be outside and will spend all day and night asking to be let out. When you live in a third-floor apartment, that's just not going to work out, and both sides of the equation were being driven mad. Our house has cat protection, and so she can roam as she pleases. It seems to have lost its novelty for her now, and she pops in to see us every now and again, having previously spent all her time outside. Until a week or so ago, this cat would rather go into a deep sleep on the baked-hard flower beds than come in to something nicer! She came with other complications, too. Ripley was on anti-anxiety medication and only ate kibble because she had spent nearly all of her life being attacked by her mother and being kept away from the wet food. I'd picked up that she had to be approached from the front and would get very jumpy at sudden noises or being unexpectedly touched from behind: that came from her mother stalking her and then pouncing on her at night. She seems fine here, though: I haven't given her any medication at all, and she's no longer jumpy. She's a confident little thing who eats wet food constantly; we serve more meals in this house now than we ever did previously! That urge to roam is real, though: I came back from posting a letter the other day to find the little devil had decided to break out: Oh, @Carbomb, who notes these things: her full name is Ripples Ripley. I didn't like Ripley as a name for her because Ellen Ripley (Alien) and Rhea Ripley are badasses, whereas this was a sweet, anxious little thing. So we've gone the Ozzy Osbourne route with her, helped by the convenience that her colouring is reminiscent of the wrapper of a Galaxy Ripple, as is a bit clearer in the first photo posted: She's slept in just about every spot in the house, and has the most wonderful splayed form when she crashes out: She's currently giving the vibe of being a lodger rather than a family member but we can cope with that; we took her in rather than other (much cheaper!) cats up for adoption because we thought that we could help her, given her specific needs. And Pebbles gave off that vibe for a decade or so before turning into an affection-hungry kitty, so there's room for hope. Anyway, she's three today, and it's very welcome having another cat in the house, even if Pebbles -- who seems to have forgotten that she was once the intruder stealing the resident cat's food -- disagrees. Quote
Paid Members Carbomb Posted June 7 Paid Members Posted June 7 Good to see you're keeping up the surname tradition, Ronnie. She looks like a little sweetheart. Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted July 16 Paid Members Posted July 16 Currently one week in with my first ever foster dog. Murphy, a 4 year old female ex-racing greyhound who has been treated horribly. Ingrown hairs and blackheads on her belly due to inadequate bedding, a metal plate in her leg due to a racing injury that wasn’t treated by her trainers and allowed to deteriorate until she was rescued. She is initially terrified of almost everything she encounters, but she is taking cues and gaining confidence from my dog. She has instantly bonded with me which is lovely, but she is wary of other people, bikes, the postman dropping letters through the box, the fridge making a noise, pigeons landing on the garden fence, the kids next door making noise in their garden, getting in and out of vehicles, jumping down off the sofa etc etc. Thankfully she does all of her business outside, but other than that everything is new. She didn’t sleep at all night one, just lay on top of me and turbo panted in my ear no matter what I did to try and help. By night three she was sleeping through the night and now considers my room to be her safe space. So much so that the next mission has been encouraging her to spend more time in the rest of the house and the scary scary back garden. My dog is a big help though; if she sees Sylvie do something she knows it’s fine. She has learned sofa dismount by watching and no longer tries to fling herself off the end. She will follow Sylvie into the garden, on walks she goes shoulder to shoulder with her in perfect stride, which is really lovely. There have been some territorial disputes but not nearly as many as I’d feared. The heatwave has also exacerbated this. Sylvie is only bothered by another dog occupying a dog bed/human bed/sofa if she happened to have that one in mind for her next stop. In the heat she is changing beds more times per day so there is a higher chance of this happening. She absolutely loves walks. Even when she’s at her most withdrawn she goes bananas for the rustling of her harness being picked up. She is also ever so slowly getting more comfortable and relaxed in other areas of the house. The first time she did a full greyhound roach on the sofa was a big win. The next step will be for her to be able to stay and relax in one of the other rooms even if get up and leave. Sylvie was especially Velcro-y at first, so I’m sure this will improve over time. Trying not to get TOO attached because I would like to help more dogs in future, but this is of course going to be impossible. I love greyhounds and she is so sweet and affectionate and clingy. I have been cooking up nicknames already too, I can’t help it. So far have had Murph’n’Turf, Murphield, Murpholmroyd and Murphyr Tydfil. Sometimes I just look at her and go “Murphy” then quietly sing the Robocop theme song. She hasn’t seen the ending of Robocop though. Would probably be a bit loud for her. Quote
Paid Members Arch Stanton Posted July 16 Paid Members Posted July 16 Fantastic to see another greyhound on the board! They are just the best weirdest dogs. Love to see that sofa roach, that's when you know they're relaxed and feeling safe! Ours turned eleven last week, a pretty decent age for a hound, but she doesn't look it. This is her taken just now... Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted July 16 Paid Members Posted July 16 (edited) Aww what a stunner, she looks amazing for her age. Mine turns 7 in September, my second ex-racer. Was very lucky and got her before she turned 2 years old. She passed grading for racing but then the pandemic cancelled the sport for just long enough for her to miss the window to start. Big win for her. My first hound had a long racing career and had the hip injuries and battle scars to go with it. Huge prey drive as well, nearly lost an arm on occasions where he spotted a cat before I did. Still a massive softie and couch potato though. A few of my own hound Sylvie: u Edited July 16 by JLM Quote
Paid Members hallicks Posted July 17 Paid Members Posted July 17 11 hours ago, JLM said: “So JLM, where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Quote
Moderators Chest Rockwell Posted August 8 Moderators Posted August 8 There are a lot of blackberries growing in the woods behind my house, which is the main place we go dog walking. Peaches loves berries, so I've been picking them as we walk and using them as training treats. Well, the jig's up! She's learned to pick them for herself now... 1 year old on Monday! Time flies. Quote
Paid Members ReturnOfTheMack Posted August 10 Paid Members Posted August 10 Tiny beast has had to have scans recently. Hes just back from xrays where he had to be sedated. Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted August 10 Paid Members Posted August 10 (edited) Murphy update! She has been adopted and is being collected tomorrow. I am proud of how far she’s come in a month, completely rid of her kennel coat, infinitely less anxious than she was, better behaved on walks, better at meeting strangers and has gone from picking at food to devouring it. She had also learned to read the room a bit better and is getting told off by my dog far less frequently. It’s very cute how much she copies Sylvie, as you can see in the pics below. She’s also started to get a bit cheeky and show some personality, which is lovely to see but also makes it harder to say goodbye. I’m going to be an absolute mess tomorrow but they seem like a perfect fit for her. They’re retired so will be at home with her, they have a big garden, they live in a very quiet area and no noisy kids nearby. They have also promised me they will let her on their sofas and beds. Really really really difficult to let her go, but would love to be able to help more dogs and won’t be able to do that if Murphy stays. Enjoy one last Murphy photo dump: Edited August 10 by JLM Quote
Ironic Indie Lad Posted August 10 Posted August 10 Fantastic work JLM and good luck Murphy - have a fantastic life! Quote
Paid Members JLM Posted September 6 Paid Members Posted September 6 New foster dog! Another greyhound, this time a five year old male named Oscar, or OSKAR if you’re a New Japan fan. He did try to mount Sylvie during the meet and greet which was quite poor form, but he accepted his telling off and hasn’t tried again. Took about twenty minutes to coax him out of the car but other than that he is settling in remarkably well. He’s not nearly as scared as Murphy and has claimed a bed, roached out and dozed off within three hours of coming home. Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.